The color of hamburger: slow steps toward the development of a science-based food safety system in the United States.

Concerns about food safety have played a key role in the emergence of the public health system in the United States. Unfortunately, the food safety regulatory system that was established in the early part of the 20th century in response to these concerns has not kept pace with our advancing scientific knowledge. In 1995, basic changes were made in the structure of the U.S. food safety regulatory structure, including implementation by USDA of the Pathogen Reduction: Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) Systems; Final Rule for Meat and Poultry, from USDA's Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS); this was accompanied by creation of FoodNet, a sentinel surveillance system for active collection of foodborne disease surveillance data. The most recent FoodNet data show a 21% decline in the incidence of major bacterial foodborne diseases since implementation of the new regulations, a decrease paralleled by reductions in the frequency of contamination of meat and poultry with Salmonella. These data strongly support the public health importance of these regulatory changes. However, questions remain about the relative degree of responsibility of industry vs. the consumer in assuring safe food; the appropriateness of microbial standards for raw food products; and the directions that should be taken in the development of the "next generation" of food safety regulations.